Alternative splicing (AS) provides flexible strategies for plants to cope with abiotic stress, but how AS regulates drought response in barley (Hordeum vulgare) remains poorly understood. This study investigates the genome-wide AS patterns in drought-sensitive (Baudin) and tolerant barley genotypes (Tadmor, EC_S1) during drought and recovery stages. Baudin showed maximal AS events during drought, while tolerant genotypes activated AS predominantly during recovery. Drought-tolerant EC_S1 exhibited differential AS events enriched in metabolic pathways, amino acid biosynthesis, and chromatin remodeling. WGCNA analysis identified eight modules linked to stomatal dynamics, biomass, and ROS scavenging, with the 'MEmidnightblue' module (related to stoma and ROS regulation) being drought-responsive. A drought-inducible splice variant, LHCA4.2b, was exclusively identified in tolerant genotypes. Silencing HvLHCA4.2a (lhca4.2a) and dual-silencing HvLHCA4.2a + b (lhca4.2a + b) drastically impaired drought tolerance, manifesting as wilting, accelerated water loss, reduced biomass, and elevated electrolyte leakage, coupled with chlorophyll degradation, ROS overaccumulation, and malondialdehyde overproduction. Enhanced stress sensitivity in lhca4.2a + b versus lhca4.2a underscores HvLHCA4.2b's critical role. Additionally, lhca4.2a + b displayed ABA-insensitive stomata with unaltered stomatal conductance under drought or exogenous ABA, implicating LHCA4.2b in ABA signaling. Mechanistically, AS-generated LHCA4.2b isoform enhances PSI-LHCI super-complex stability through strengthened interaction interfaces with LHCA1, thereby improving energy transfer efficiency and reducing ROS generation. This isoform simultaneously coordinates ABA signaling by elevating ABF1/ABF3 transcription factors while suppressing ABI3/ABI4/ABI5 repressors, collectively modulating stomatal closure and ROS homeostasis. Our findings elucidate AS-mediated drought adaptation mechanisms in barley and highlight HvLHCA4.2b as a potential target for breeding drought-tolerant cultivars.